Method of handling refuse

ABSTRACT

A method of handling refuse in which a mobile baling press is transported along a refuse collection route while refuse is gathered thereto from locations along the route, gathered refuse is compressed and bound in highly dense bales, bound bales are transported from the route to a sanitary landfill area and deposited therein, and are there covered over with dirt.

United States Patent Clark A. Sheri-ill Winston-Salem, N.C. 824,936

May 15, 1969 June 8, l 97 1 Sauco Corporation Winston-Salem, N.C.

[72] Inventor [21] Appl. No. [22] Filed [45] Patented [73] Assignee [54]METHOD OF HANDLING REFUSE 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

52 u.s.c|. 61/35,

100/100, 214/6 [51] 1nt.Cl E02d3/08 [50] FieldofSearch 61/3 [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,390,306 12/1945 HunzikerTRANSPORT 1N6 MOBlLE BALlNG DRE-SS Wmuz- GATHERING REF-U 5E.-

3,195,447 7/1965 Taylor 100/100X 3,277,850 10/1966 Jackson et al.100/95X 3,280,727 l0/1966 Jonas 100/100 3,446,026 5/1969 Fikse 61/35OTHER REFERENCES Industrial Services of America, Brochure; 4 pagesReceived in group, 10-23-68; Class 100 Subclass 229A PrimaryExaminer-David .l. Williamowsky Assistant Examiner-Philip C. KannanAnorney- Parrott, Bell, Seltzer, Park & Gibson CoMpiaE-ssmo AND BlNDlNGREF-USE- 1N BALER TEANSPOETING BALE-S To LANbFlLL Awe DEPOSITINGTHERE-1N COVERING bEPosrrEb BALES PATENTED JUN 8l97l- TRANSPC) ET I maMOBALE BAUNCi DRE-SS WHlLEGATHERlNG REFUSE- CoMmae-ssma Nb BmbmeREF-USE- Y m BALEEL TRANSPOETING BALES To LANBHLL Am EPOSIHNG THEiZElNCOVERING LA 1. b

bepossTE-lb BALEs INVENTOR: CLARK A. SH E-2.R\ u

ATTORNEYS METHOD OF HANDLING REFUSE This invention relates to a methodof handling residential refuse and the like.

The handling of refuse such as unreclaimable residential waste materialor garbage has long been recognized as presenting a number of problems,-particularly relating to pickup of the materials from a collectionroute, transport of the materials from the collection route to adisposal area, and disposal of the collection materials.

Pickup of the residential refuse materials is commonly made at aresidence back door by a collector who dumps the contents of aresidential can into a large carry barrel, collecting from severalhouses before returning to the street and dumping the carry barrel intoa waiting transport truck, which usually is a compactor or packingtruck. In making this transfer, the loose refuse is subject toscattering by the wind until such time as the refuse is contained in thetruck.

Compactor or packing trucks are widely used and are effective insomewhat reducing the volume of collected refuse in that such trucksusually compress refuse in a ratio up to about 6 to 1 storing up toabout six times the quantity of refuse as a conventional open bodiedtruck. However, compactor trucks must still leave the residentialcollection route at relatively frequent intervals, less than a full daysworking time, to transport collected refuse to a disposal area such as asanitary landfill. Further, when a compactor truck is emptied, themoderately packed refuse promptly returns to a loose, open conditionsubstantially the same as when collected along the route, giving rise-tofurther handling problems regardless of the particular disposal methodchosen.

Sanitary landfill disposal of refuse has the advantages of low initialcost, low upkeep and maintenance, and the reclamation of unusable land.When operated in conjunction with pickup and transportation as outlinedabove, a landfill has significant disadvantages, in that refuse must berecompacted into place in the landfill by crawler tractors or the likein order to attain compaction in a ratio of at least 6 to l and therebyreduce uneven settling of the landfill, is subject to being scattered bywind due to the loose condition of the refuse, and generates methane gaswhich causes odors and may catch fire.

Having in mind the above method heretofore used for the handling anddisposal of residential refuse, it is an object of the present inventionto accomplish disposal of such refuse while avoiding the problems whichflow from the handling of loose refuse. In accomplishing this object ofthe present invention, residential refuse disposal operations are mademore economical and more acceptable for health reasons, in thatscattering of refuse is eliminated and the volume of refuse accommodatedin a given sanitary landfill area is increased. Further, the transportof collected refuse material from routes and the handling of refusematerial on the collection routes is facilitated, in that repeated tripsby transport vehicles are eliminated and scattering of refuse along thecollection route is substantially eliminated.

It is a further object of the present invention to derive particularbenefits in handling residential refuse by transporting a mobile balingpress along a refuse collection route, for the gathering of refusematerials from locations along the route to the press. In accordancewith the method of the present invention, compression of the refusematerials early in the handling of the refuse materials by a collectionservice provides major advantages in the elimination of difficultiesheretofore encountered on the routes, in subsequent transport of therefuse material to a disposal area, and in disposal of the materials bythe landfill process.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objectswill appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a schematic flow diagramof the method in accordance with the present invention, illustrating thesequence of steps followed in practicing this invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of apparatus used in certain of the steps involved inpracticing the method schematically shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an elevation view, in partial section, of a baling pressportion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the method of thepresent invention may be understood from a schematically illustratedseries of steps (FIG. 1). As there stated, the method of the presentinvention for handling residential refuse and the like comprises thesteps of transporting a mobile baling press along a refuse collectionroute while gathering refuse from locations therealong to the press,compressing gathered refuse in the press, and binding the compressedrefuse into highly dense bales, and then preferably collecting boundbales, transporting bound bales from the collection route to a disposalarea and depositing the bound bales therein, and, in the instance of asanitary landfill, covering the deposited bales of refuse over withearth. More details regarding these steps will become apparenthereinafter, as the present discussion proceeds with reference to theother Figures of the drawing.

It is particularly contemplated that the vehicles employed in practicingthe method of the present invention include a mobile refuse baling pressgenerally indicated at 10 (FIG. 2) which preferably is trailer mountedto be transported about a residential refuse collection route by beingtowed behind a suitable automotive vehicle, such as a flatbed truck 11.Such a vehicular arrangement has particular advantages in furtheringcompliance with the vehicle safety requirements established by federallaw, in movement of the vehicles at normal traffic speeds when requiredas in travel to and from the residential route area, and for temporarystorage of the bound bales formed during a days work.

While a suitable baling press 10 may take a number of different detailconfigurations, the baling press shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is contemplatedas particularly appropriate for the method of the present invention. Asthere shown, the baling press incorporates a hydraulic cylinder 20,acting generally horizontally to displace a press plunger 21 relative toa stationary press frame. The plunger 21 moves beneath a refusereceiving hopper 24 between a retracted position (solid lines in FIG. 3)at which the hopper opens into the main body of the press and anextended position for the compression of refuse (phantom lines in FIG. 3and beyond) and includes a rearwardly extending cover 25. Displacementof the plunger 21 by operation of the hydraulic cylinder 20 compressesrefuse material in the main body of the press between the plunger and anend door or closure member 26, secured to the baling press frameadjacent one end thereof, while other refuse material is retained in thehopper 24 by the sliding cover 25. Repeated reciprocation of plunger 21admits refuse material from the hopper 24 into the main body of thepress and packs the refuse material into a highly compressed bale.

In particular, the bulk of refuse admitted into the baling press isreduced by compression in a ratio of approximately 12:1. That is, 12cubic yards of refuse as normally placed in refuse containers byhouseholders are reduced to a volume of approximately I cubic yard.While in such a high density state, the compressed refuse is bound intoa bale B by means of binding wire or tape 28 extending longitudinallyabout the bale, in a manner similar to binding of baled hay and thelike, with the bound bale then being ejected from the baling pressthrough the closure 26 onto a bale receiving platform 29. As ejectedfrom the baling press, a bound bale has density approximately 1 l to 12times greater than the material collected by workers from locationsalong the residential refuse collection route.

A bound bale B ejected from the baling press is then transferred to theflat bed truck through means of a crane 30, mounted to overlie therearward extremity of the truck bed and the platform 29. A plurality ofbound bales B are stacked on the truck bed, and collected during acourse of a days work, for subsequent delivery to a disposal area. Thearea available on the bed of the truck is sufficient to accommodate anumber of bales ordinarily produced during a day's work on a residentialrefuse collection route, such as for example 25 to 30 bales. Thus, it isnot necessary for collectors working a route to interrupt a day's workfor a delivery run to a sanitary landfill or other disposal area or forthe transfer of collected refuse to a truck serving that function.

Alternatively, or in the event that the storage space available onvehicles moving with the mobile baling press becomes quickly occupied,bound bales may be transferred from the baling press platform 29 to thestreet, for subsequent pickup by a tender truck. Such a baling presstender truck would serve a number of baling press routes, collectingbound bales from along the streets for delivery to the sanitarylandfill.

From observation of bound bales of refuse produced in accordance withthe method of the present invention, it has been discovered that suchbales stay in their highly dense condition for extended periods of time,even though exposed to weather conditions. Additionally, while in highlycompressed or high dense state, the refuse does not give off odors suchas are typical of loosely gathered refuse or attract rats and othervermin. Instead, the tightly bound bales of refuse are substantiallyinert in similarity to monolithic, unitary blocks of material,

These characteristics of the bound bales of refuse, while facilitatinghandling and transport along the collection route and during transfer toa disposal area, provide significant benefits in a sanitary landfillarea. First, the avoidance of the aforementioned unattractivecharacteristics of loose refuse material, together with the avoidance ofscattering of refuse, permits locating a sanitary landfill in areaswhere such land use would heretofore have been considered unacceptable.In particular, while land to be filled in residential areas hasheretofore been considered unavailable for sanitary landfill purposes,the application of the method of the present invention permits use ofsuch areas for sanitary landfill. This is further facilitated by theelimination from sanitary landfill procedures ofthe packing stepsheretofore required.

It has heretofore been typical of sanitary landfill operations thatloose refuse dumped in the sanitary landfill area from compactor trucksor the like must be compressed with crawler tractors, rubber tiredtractors, or specially equipped sheep's foot compactors before therefuse is covered over with earth. By such compaction, the refuse isreduced in volume in a ratio of approximately 6 to l at a maximum. Suchcompaction requires operation of heavy equipment substantiallycontinuously during each day, and still results in a landfill which mustsettle over a period of years before becoming useful for constructionfoundation purposes.

By way of contrast, a sanitary landfill area in which bound bales ofrefuse are deposited in accordance with the present invention requiresthe attention of only a relative light duty conventional tractor, forstacking the deposited bales and for covering over the bales with earthas the landfill is completed. The relatively high compaction of therefuse as delivered to the landfill avoids the necessity of using suchan apparatus for compaction purposes and also permits quicker diversionof the landfill area to higher uses, such as construction. The morefavorable characteristics of the bound bales of material as discussedhereinabove also permits delay of covering over of the bales, therebymaking possible more efficient use of the cubic yards of earth availableand required in the landfill area in that the baled refuse may bestacked in the landfill in orderly rows and layers rather than beingmerely tumbled into lower lying areas as is the case with loose refuse.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferredembodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not forpurposes oflimitation.

I claim:

1. A method of handling residential refuse and the like comprising thesteps of transporting a mobile baling press along a residential refusecollection route while gathering refuse to the press from residencesalong the collection route, while compressing gathered refuse in thepress into a highly dense bale and encircling the compressed bale withbinding material, then collecting bound bales,

transporting collected bales from the collection route to a sanitarylandfill area, and

depositing bales in the sanitary landfill area and covering thedeposited bales over with earth.

2. A refuse handling method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the stepof compressing refuse includes compacting the refuse into a volume ofabout one-twelfth that occupied by the refuse as gathered from locationsalong the collection route.

3. A refuse handling method according to claim 1 wherein the step ofdepositing bound bales in the sanitary landfill includes stacking thebound bales in orderly layers and rows so as to minimize the volume ofcovering earth required.

4. A refuse handling method in accordance with claim 1 wherein thecollecting of bound bales continues until a substantial number of balesare accumulated before the collected bales are transported to thesanitary landfill area.

5. A refuse handling method in accordance with claim 4 wherein the stepof collecting bound bales includes storing collected bales on a vehicletowing the mobile baling press while continuing said transporting of thepress so that departure of the press from the collection route atfrequent intervals is avoided in that the step of transporting boundbales to the disposal area proceeds only at intervals required toproduce a plurality of bales.

6. A refuse handling method in accordance with claim 4 wherein the stepof transporting bound bales to the disposal area proceeds independentlyof and simultaneously with the step of transporting the mobile balingpress.

1. A method of handling residential refuse and the like comprising thesteps of transporting a mobile baling press along a residential refusecollection route while gathering refuse to the press from residencesalong the collection route, while compressing gathered refuse in thepress into a highly dense bale and encircling the compressed bale withbinding material, then collecting bound bales, transporting collectedbales from the collection route to a sanitary landfill area, anddepositing bales in the sanitary landfill area and covering thedeposited bales over with earth.
 2. A refuse handling method inaccordance with claim 1 wherein the step of compressing refuse includescompacting the refuse into a volume of about one-twelfth that occupiedby the refuse as gathered from locations along the collection route. 3.A refuse handling method according to claim 1 wherein the step ofdepositing bound bales in the sanitary landfill includes stacking thebound bales in orderly layers and rows so as to minimize the volume ofcovering earth required.
 4. A refuse handling method in accordance withclaim 1 wherein the collecting of bound bales continues until asubstantial number of bales are accumulated before the collected balesare transported to the sanitary landfill area.
 5. A refuse handlingmethod in accordance with claim 4 wherein the step of collecting boundbales includes storing collected bales on a vehicle towing the mobilebaling press while continuing said transporting of the press so thatdeparture of the press from the collection route at frequent intervalsis avoided in that the step of transporting bound bales to the disposalarea proceeds only at intervals required to produce a plurality ofbales.
 6. A refuse handling method in accordance with claim 4 whereinthe step of transporting bound bales to the disposal area proceedsindependently of and simultaneously with the step of transporting themobile baling press.